CHAPTER 11
Gasping for breath, Sia forced her eyes open, the memory still fresh in her mind.
Julian’s concerned face was the first thing she saw, and she didn’t waste any time jumping into his open arms.
“It’s okay. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you,” Julian said and kept repeating the words to her as she clung to him for dear life, her entire body trembling. Her quiet sobs raked through his body like a thousand knives to his heart.
It was then, with Sia in his arms, that he realized that he would do anything for her—no matter what the cost. Love was a strong emotion, and Julian didn’t know if it was love he felt, but he did like her—a lot. And there was definitely physical attraction. Most of all, he knew that he’d barrel headfirst into any situation to ensure her safety.
Sia didn’t know how much time had passed, but she slowly began to relax in Julian’s comforting embrace. His scent was a comforting mixture of cinnamon and mint and undoubtedly male. The scent calmed her further as she inhaled deeply. She didn’t know what prompted her to jump into his arms like that, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that it felt so right. That she belonged here in the cradle of his arms.
And she realized that she trusted him to protect her and never hurt her, something she hadn’t felt in the past fourteen years toward any man. She had trusted her parents in the same way, but they had let her down in more ways than she could count, and she was scared to feel this vulnerable once again. Whoever she had trusted in her life had always let her down, some more violently than others.
They pulled away after a while and just stared into each other’s eyes, her blue eyes meeting his green ones. She knew she could just stare at those beautiful eyes for eternity and lose herself in their depths. There was no doubt that Julian was handsome, but being this close to him, she felt spellbound.
No one knew who moved first, but slowly and surely, their faces leaned towards each other, their breaths mingled in an intimate whisper, their hearts hammered in sync.
Finally, they gave in to the temptation, and their lips met halfway.
Soft but firm, Julian’s lips were pure male temptation. She had never believed in fairytales before where sparks would erupt when two lovers kissed, but she felt them now. The kiss set every fiber and nerve in her on fire, and it made her toes curl. Her hands rose from his shoulders to fasten into his silky midnight hair as she pulled him impossibly closer.
He had died and gone to heaven. That was the only explanation he could give to the pure bliss that was Sia’s lips. Hot and moist and so, so soft, he could almost taste the cherry blossom of her scent on her lips. It made his heart pound and his cock throb with need. But he should wait. Not tonight, not while she was still recovering from the horrors of her nightmare and the attack earlier.
He knew it was a memory. She had spoken in her dream—had been petrified to think that Arthur had come back home. He knew that the bastard had tortured her and raped her.
His mind diverted into wanting to take her right there and then, and wanting to shred Arthur to pieces for the torment he caused Sia. But, with a light push on her shoulder, he pulled away from her hungry lips. He knew she wasn’t ready, that it was only the trauma and nightmare making her act out. She’ll regret it once she came to her senses and that was exactly what Julian was afraid of.
“I’m sorry. I—” Sia panicked, thinking of what he might be thinking of her.
“Sia! Sia, it’s okay.” He calmed her down before she could panic. “Besides, if we don’t stop now, we might end up doing something you’re not yet ready for.”
She blushed like a tomato at Julian’s words mixed with the realization that she had just kissed her employee. It wasn’t lost on her that that Julian had said “we” when it came to regretting things in the morning. It gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction that Julian yearned for her, and she was all the morecruel for leading him on.
Julian was right. She wasn’t ready to take that step—not yet. And after the permanent scars that Arthur had put on her, she didn’t think she’ll ever be ready. Looking at the wall clock, she saw that it was almost four in the morning. And right on cue, her stomach rumbled.
She blushed in embarrassment while Julian scrambled off the bed to bring her the food that Martha had kept separate for her. He reheated it and brought it up to her room, but not before making sure that all the doors and windows were locked tight and the guards at the gate were on high alert.
After having some warm mushroom soup and slices of bread and cheese, Sia was back in bed snuggled up comfortably against Julian’s warm body. He had offered to sit on the chair instead while she slept, but Sia wasn’t ready to let go of his warmth just yet. She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted to steal this night for herself before everything went back to normal when they went back to being employer and bodyguard.
This time when she slept, no nightmares haunted her. Instead, she saw a dark-haired, blue-eyed man whose kisses sent her toes curling, chasing her around the house, laughing in open delight along with a little girl who looked just like him.